Arsène Wenger admitted that the difficult decision to omit Robin van Persie from his starting lineup had backfired, as his Arsenal team endured a night of frustration against Marseille.

The manager has said on more than one occasion that he has been keen to take the strain off his talisman, particularly as Van Persie has a chequered fitness history. He took the plunge here, giving Park Chu-young his first non-Carling Cup minutes up front but he watched Arsenal labour.

The tie did nothing to disprove the notion that Wenger's team are all too dependant on Van Persie, who had started the evening with 33 goals in 37 appearances for the club since the turn of the year. There was irony, too, in that Arsenal's clearest chance fell to the Dutchman after his introduction as a substitute only for him to under-hit his attempted chip.

"It was a bit on the edge … it was a gamble," Wenger said. "You can say tonight that it didn't come off."

Wenger, though, defended the decision, insisting that it was wrong to expect Van Persie to play in every game and to carry the team. Van Persie had said in his programme notes that "hopefully, I will play against Marseille", but he added that he knew "how it goes – the season is very long and we want to keep everyone fit".

Wenger said: "Robin was tired, that's why I left him out. It was down to fatigue. He cannot play 50 games. He had a great chance when he came on and he tried to chip the keeper. We have to accept it. You cannot just say one player has to make the difference."

The game was something of a reality check after the north London side's thrilling 5-3 Premier League win at Chelsea on Saturday. But Arsenal remain on top of Group F and with qualification still likely.

"We wanted to secure our qualification but in the last two games [against Marseille] we took four points which, overall, is not too bad," Wenger said.

"We were physically not the sharpest tonight but we were disciplined and willing. The positives are that we did not concede. Marseille had one shot on target and we know we can do better in the final third."